Quebec vaccine passport now in impact, however with doubts from critics
The Quebec vaccination certificate is effective immediately. And it will be part of the essential things you carry with you every day like your keys, wallet, cell phone, and even your Medicare card. However, the pass, which is available in digital and paper formats and allows fully vaccinated Quebecers to participate in a variety of non-essential activities, is not without its criticism.
Although Quebec is the first province in Canada to adopt and implement such a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, some public health experts have their doubts about the passport system, especially when it comes to some of the adverse effects social impact it could cause. Kerry Bowman, who teaches bioethics and global health at the University of Toronto, said in an interview that the pass could be a form of “coercion” for those who were vaccinated but originally didn’t want to. He also expressed concern that Quebec’s passport system could pose a risk that these unvaccinated individuals could be marginalized, which in turn could increase tension between the public and the government.
“Well, you see, is it justified in this difficult emergency that we are in? I hope it is, ”added Mr. Bowman.
Another group of people who are critical of the vaccination record system are the three opposition parties in the Quebec National Assembly, who have said they wanted a debate on the issue in the assembly so that experts in the field of science and ethics could have their say Opinion could have offered opinions about the scientific validity of the system and the ethics behind it. However, Prime Minister Francois Legault rejected this proposal, saying the new rules had been passed by decree. The provincial government is also still in a state of emergency, which allows it to introduce any new regulation as quickly as possible without discussion in the National Assembly. He added that he did not want to provide a forum for conspiracy theorists.
Although other provinces like Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia are considering introducing their own vaccination record systems in the near future, and countries like Israel and some major American cities like New York and San Francisco have recently introduced similar vaccination card systems, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube is following himself up as before for the necessity of the vaccination pass in the province and says that it is like a “passport to freedom”.
“People want to be vaccinated and live normal lives. We went through hell in these first three waves (the COVID-19 pandemic), ”Mr Dube said recently during a press conference.
And the numbers justify this need. The provincial government has said the majority of Quebecers are in favor of the system, with the province’s high vaccination rate serving as evidence of this support. Across Quebec, approximately 86 percent of residents 12 and older received at least one dose of the vaccine, with 79 percent of these Quebecers receiving both doses.
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